Review of 5BARz Road Warrior for BlackBerry

Have you had a problem with keeping a steady signal on your Smart Phone device? Maybe you're driving and you lose reception going downhill. Maybe you've dropped a few calls while talking at home, or better yet, you have to go to a kitchen corner for better reception. Well the kind people at 5BARz have come up with a possible solution for those of us that live out in the sticks with no reception, called the ROAD WARRIOR. The slogan for 5BARz is "Always On! Always connected! Anytime. Anywhere." Sounds tough doesn't it? After all, it's a WARRIOR!

Installation was pretty easy; the universal holder is attached to a gooseneck that has a 12V cigarette lighter adaptor that plugs into the jack on your dashboard. It's a little sticky, but its better that it doesn't flop over. The coaxial cable connects to the Transmit/Receive module for power. Place the device into the holder, turn it on, and that's it (there is a USB cable included to charge the phone, but it does not fit my 9630). At this point, the connection has been established. You will know because the blue LED lights will turn on in the front of the module. The signal definitely did improve and apparently it will help out more than one device in the car, but the signal will not be as strong as the initial phone that is in the holder. One complaint though is that I had to yell when I was talking on the phone. A hands free device would complete this on-the-go device. I had to yell within a foot of my 9630 in order for the person on the other side of the conversation to hear me.

If you decide that you want to bring it inside for use, it's easy. Just leave the cigarette lighter adapter in the car and pull out the AC converter and plug it into the module and you got it, simple. You also could hook up Tether and surf the internet with faster download speeds.

One thing to remember is that the Road Warrior cannot create a signal, so if you are truly in a dead zone then this is not the device for you. It will only help if there is a actual signal to amplify, so that you may make those important calls.

Here is an example of when the Road Warrior does not work: (source 5barz.com)

Q:Even though I'm using 5BARz sometimes my calls still drop and are not always clear? A: Mobile phone technology requires quality connections from both parties on the call. Although you made a wise purchasing decision and will enjoy clearer calls, if you're talking to someone in a dread zone, their signal is weak. If they're not using 5BARz their signal is low and you both are suffering from their inability to keep clear calls. Suggest that they up their gain by using 5BARz - send them to our website 5BARz.com for more information on how they can communicate more clearly.

Road Warrior Specifications:

Maximum input power: +20 dBm

Output power: .25 watt average / 1 watt maximum peak

Service antenna: Cigarette lighter / power cord antenna

Frequency Bands: Multi-band US Cellular and multi-band US PCS

System Gain Cell/PCS: 40/45 dB, Self Optimizing

Power Supply: 12v DC

Power Dissipation: 6 Watts

Dimensions: 5.0" x 4.75" x 1.35"

Weight: 1lb (0.45kg)

Pros:

Better Signal

No permanent installation.

No external antenna and cabling required

Works on your cell phone, PDA, and data enabled laptops

Cons:

Wires

Have to use Bluetooth or handsfree device

Has to be in the cradle in order for device to work

The USB cable does not fit all models

Final say:

The 5BARz Road Warrior is a great device and I've proven that it works. I've pointed out the pros and cons and I would recommend this to a consumer that lives out in the country or in a building that has problem with getting reception. I tested it in numerous locations and I never had a problem with increasing the signal. (Test may vary for you) Based on a star rating, 1 star meaning, "Wouldn't Recommend" and 5 stars meaning, "Buy it Now". I give it 4.5 stars because of the price tag.

Reader comments

5BARz Road Warrior Review

Kevin (aka Ryan Seacrest): Well Dan, You're up first for Round 2 of CrackBerry Idol. It's never easy being first, so you get extra kudos from me for punctuality (you were the first of the contestants to get your review in). It's a cool product, so let's see how the judges think you did on the review.

Dieter: Watching the video I didn't realize what the product was or did until halfway through, dawg. What's with that? You hit some good points in the review, but a better overview of how the product works earlier on would be better. You had a complicated product to review, dawg, so you had a tough row to hoe. Dig a little deeper next time to clear out the weeds.

Georgia: Dan thank you so much for the fantabulous review and video. You addressed the features for both novice and tech savvy in a manner that was clear and informative. You have a nice speaking voice and you write in a manner that kept me engaged. Really enjoyed how you presented the pros and cons of the device as well, very well done. Bravo!

Craig: Great review Dan. I got the full picture on what it does and how it works. Good video and write-up. Nothing more to add. I even want one of these things :-)

I noticed that the usb cord wouldn't fit in any Blackberry, so I watched one of the videos provided by Bing and it appears there are adapters that you plug the usb cord into that allows it to charge Blackberries, iPhones, ect..
A pretty important part of the product that was missed.

I think you were the right person to start off this round. You'll be definitely setting the bar for others. Your written review was very good, and had a great structure to it. Easy to read through, and enjoyable. I really like that you included the specification, your pros and cons section really targeted points i felt were important. The final say section wasn't my favorite at all. You mentioned you took away half a star for price...what's the price? For someone who seemed to like it it's odd that you gave just as many cons as pros. Lastly the video was good, you definitely have a very good speaking voice, but at one part the focus really hurt my eyes and i had to look away. Great start Dan! I look forward to seeing you in the next round!

"Q:Even though I'm using 5BARz sometimes my calls still drop and are not always clear?
A: Mobile phone technology requires quality connections from both parties on the call. Although you made a wise purchasing decision and will enjoy clearer calls, if you're talking to someone in a DREAD zone, their signal is weak. If they're not using 5BARz their signal is low and you both are suffering from their inability to keep clear calls. Suggest that they up their GAIN by using 5BARz - send them to our website 5BARz.com for more information on how they can communicate more clearly. "

The words in all caps were from their Q/A. Dread might just be sarcasm but gain made me LOL. 5BARz sounds like a great company...after reading that question I'm not sold on this product even working.

First of all, why take so long to explain (if you did) what kind of a product this was? Another thing, why didn't you tell the people that they don't have to SPEND OVER $300 to get this effect. There is a product called AS SEEN ON TV - CELL ANTENNA. It provides an excellent way for $19.95 TOPS (I paid $10 for it), and is like having a 4 foot antenna on your cell phone. You take off the battery cover and take out the battery and place the "antenna patch" right where the battery would go, put the battery back in and VOILA! You have 5 bars instantaneously. Less than $20 and does the same job. DUH! No contest. Please get to the point faster. Thanks. :)

you have to get a tip. to charge your specific device. the tips are similar to those found on the Igo charger system. That plug wont charge without a tip. but I do see that even with the tip on it probably would not fit because the holder is covering part of your charger port.

I liked how in the vid review, you had showed that with the 2 bars you weren't able to make the call, but all you showed was that the bars went up after plugging the accessory in and didn't show whether or not that actually improved the call performance or anything else. As far as I'm concerned, the product simply plays with the display of the bars :-/

For $300, I'll just move a little to the left, drive down the street a few blocks, or just forget trying to use the phone in that location! OMG, that is crazy pricing. Did not like the video presentation. This is the second round, the final 10, when are we going to step up and stop with the all the ums and ahs? It's annoying.

I checked out some of the referral videos by Bing just to have a better idea of what would be a good video. I found myself understanding the product and its features considerably more listening to Drew from Crackberrydotcom (youtube user) than I did from your video. I think you missed on the simplicity of what the product does, how it works, how much it is, in the video. I thought your writeup answered a lot of questions that may have been raised in the video, pros and cons were good. I do like how you showed the problem with charging Tours and other BB's that have the usb port hidden by the cradle. I wish you would have included the price and, like Drew's review, gave a better us demonstration of how the product works and why we would want it.

Definitely need to make sure you include the price as part of the review. Only a few "Uh's" (9), so it wasn't as bad as some of the round 1 reviews.

It did take a while in the video to finally tell us what the device is used for. That could have been addressed earlier. The other thing, you showed how you couldn't make a call where you were without the device - you didn't show the call going through with the device.

As far as using the phone and having to yell, I think that is more a user issue than a product issue. With the number of states going with hands-free laws, it makes sense to require a hands-free device when using a cradled option.

I think it was good to point out the Tour/USB position issue. The fact that the cradle blocks the USB port (which it will also do with the Bold 9650) means no charging while in this cradle. Good point to make with it. :)

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